In 2006 a youth health survey was conducted in Pangnirtung, Nunavut as part of a community collaboration. The survey assessed food use, nutrient status and anthropometry. Thirty four percent of youth were above healthy weight; soft drink consumption averaged 1 litre per day; and nutrient intake distributions showed likelihood of inadequacies in the diet. Traditional food (TF) consumption, however, had a beneficial effect on nutrient status as iron, vitamin A and protein intake was significantly higher among those who consumed TF. / Elder stories about TF were used as a pilot intervention aimed to promote TF by increasing traditional knowledge (TK) to community youth. Stories were played on a DVD and pre/post questionnaires were administered; independent and paired t-tests revealed a significant transfer of TK to youth. Qualitative analysis further revealed deep respect for TK, indicating that future initiatives should consider incorporating TK in health promotion strategies.

This thesis characterizes the nutritional implications of climate change impacts on the traditional food system of Inuit in Nunavut, Canada. Both focus groups and food frequency questionnaires were used in collaboration with two communities to describe current climate change impacts on traditional food and define nutrient intake. Currently, both communities experience climate-related changes to important species which provide high levels of key nutrients. If climate changes continue to impact traditional food species, serious nutritional losses may occur unless healthy alternatives can be found. Policy should support Inuit communities to maintain optimal nutrition in the face of climate change.

This thesis explored the place of vitamin C in the Inuit diet through analysis of traditional food sources, assessment of contemporary intake among women aged 20--40 years, estimation of a pre contact intake of vitamin C and qualitative interviews to contextualize current food choices that can affect vitamin C intake. This thesis provides the first reports of vitamin C values for several Inuit traditional foods. There are rich sources of vitamin C in the Inuit traditional food although they are infrequently consumed by this group of women. On average half of the women interviewed in each season met the 1990 Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) set at 30 mg/day, however, only 34% of the group met the new Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of 60 mg/day. Historically, ample vitamin C was obtained through the traditional Inuit food system.

Perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs), sulfonates (PFSs) and perfluoroalkylsulfonamides (PFOSAs) have been detected in whole blood and serum of non-occupationally exposed humans, yet sources of exposure have not been fully elucidated. The objectives of this study were to estimate dietary exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), PFCAs (C7--C 11) and fluorotelomer unsaturated carboxylates (FTUCAs) for the general Canadian and Inuit populations prior to the phase-out of perfluorooctyl-sulfonyl production by 3M and voluntary reductions in PFOA emissions under the PFOA stewardship program. PFCs were measured in 65 archived composite food samples prepared for the 1998 Canadian Total Diet Study (TDS) and 68 archived traditional foods from Nunavut using a newly developed methanol extraction combined with a solid phase extraction clean up. Dietary exposure was estimated using food intake data available from studies carried out between 1997 and 1998 in southern Canada and Nunavut. / PFCs were detected in eight composite food samples from the Canadian TDS and in 61 traditional food samples. Elevated concentrations of PFCs were found in caribou liver (6.2+/-5.5 ng/g), ringed seal liver (7.7, 10.2 ng/g), polar bear meat (7.0 ng/g), beluga meat (7.0, 5.8 ng/g), luncheon meats (5.02 ng/g), cookies (2.7 ng/g), processed cheese (2.1 ng/g) and peppers (1.8 ng/g). Low levels of total PFCs (<1.5 ng/g) were measured in 41 traditional foods including: meat (caribou, ptarmigan, snow goose, bearded seal, walrus, black duck), berries, and fish (lake trout, arctic char). PFCs were not detected in beverages, unprocessed meats, breads, cereals and fruits from the TDS composite samples analyzed. / The ranges of estimated daily exposure to PFCs were between 2 and 59 ng-person-1 and 210 to 610 ng-person-1 for average Canadians and Inuit in Nunavut respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in mean PFC exposure levels for different age and gender groups in the general Canadian population. Inuit men in the 41 to 60 year old age group had statistically significantly higher estimated daily exposure to PFCs (p<0.05) than younger men and women from the same age group. This higher exposure was associated with the consumption of beluga muktuk, caribou liver and bearded seal intestine. / Traditional foods contributed a higher percentage to PFC exposure than market foods in all age and gender groups for the Inuit population. In general, caribou meat, arctic char meat and cookies contributed most to dietary exposure for Inuit, with caribou flesh contributing 43 to 75 percent to daily PFC dietary exposure. Dietary exposure for the general Canadian population was associated with the consumption of cakes and cookies, processed cheese, and regular cheese. / Levels of dietary exposure to PFCs estimated in these studies do not pose any significant health risk to either population based on current toxicological information.

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